The 2017 Illinois Art Education Association (IAEA) Annual Conference was held December 1-2, 2017 in St. Charles IL.

This year 683 entries from grades K-12 were submitted by 66 Illinois Art Education Association teachers. 40 artworks, K-12, were created by students in the General Education category, and 5, K-11, artworks were created by students in the Special Needs category.

Local winner recognized was David Guzman of Hester Junior High School. In addition, his teacher Carissa Zill was recognized as an award-winning art educator. The complete list of award winning artists and their teachers can be found at https://goo.gl/bWrvkS.

The awards ceremony was organized by Susan Tiemstra, 2016 IAEA Elementary Art Educator of the year from Prospect School in Clarendon Hills IL, and featured inspirational remarks by Theresa McGee, IAEA president and 2010 IAEA Elementary Art Educator of the Year from Hinsdale IL Middle School, and emcee Venessa Hardy, 2010 IAEA High School Art Educator of the year from Lisle High School, IL.

The Illinois Art Education Association believes the visual arts are a powerful, humanizing force in culture and education, and promotes and maintains the highest possible quality of instruction in visual arts programs wherever they exist in the State of Illinois.

La Grange Il-based LivelyBottle.com donated custom water bottles to each of the 45 winners of the student-art competition, using their own artwork and personalized with their name. Contact owner Gary Radville at gary@livelybottle.com.

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